Zac Gallen Returns to the Desert

About Gallen

Gallen, nicknamed “The Milkman,” has established himself as a frontline starter. Known for his elite command rather than overwhelming velocity, Gallen utilizes a diverse repertoire. It includes a four-seam fastball, a sharp 12-6 curveball, and a deceptive changeup. Before his recent free agency, he was the backbone of the Diamondbacks’ rotation. He notably helped lead the team to a 2023 World Series appearance. Gallen also earned the start for the National League in the 2023 All-Star Game.

Gallen’s career is defined by his historic consistency and a record-breaking scoreless-innings streak in 2022. He surpassed Brandon Webb’s franchise record by tossing 44.1 consecutive scoreless innings. It’s also the seventh-longest streak in MLB history. A product of the University of North Carolina, he was originally drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 before being traded to the Miami Marlins and eventually to Arizona in 2019 for Jazz Chisholm Jr. Throughout his tenure in Phoenix, he consistently finished near the top of Cy Young voting, cementing his reputation as one of the most reliable right-handers in the league.

Gallen’s 2025 Season

The 2025 season proved to be a challenging anomaly for Gallen, as he finished with a career-worst 4.83 ERA and a 13–15 record across 33 starts. While he remained a workhorse, pitching 192 innings and striking out 175 batters, he struggled significantly with “gopheritis,” surrendering a career-high 31 home runs. Despite these struggles, he showed flashes of his former self late in the year, posting a 2.68 ERA over his final nine outings. Following the season, Gallen entered the free-agent market after rejecting a $22.025 million qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks, seeking a multi-year deal to reset his career trajectory.

Now, he returns to Arizona, looking for a bounce-back before re-entering free agency after 2026.